In Southern European countries, there are no representative epidemiological data on the contribution of obesity to asthma burden. In this area of the world, there are also no studies on the effect of important lifestyle factors including diet and physical activity on the association of adiposity with asthma pathophysiology. In addition, no information exists on levels of airways inflammation both in non-asthmatics and asthmatics subjects in relation to body content in fat and the impact of weight reduction on airway inflammation.